Benito Nonino, one of the third generation of distillers, has died at the age of 90. His whole life was linked to that of grappa so much so that, in all likelihood, the funeral chapel will be set up in the place that was dearest to him: the family distillery in Percoto (Udine).
Nonino, together with his wife Giannola, had the merit of transforming a gut-burning alcoholic drink for the Friulians who cultivated the land, or spent their lives in the factories, into a product of excellence, a noble liqueur. The turning point has a date, 1973, when he created the first grappa "Monovitigno Picolit". Since then it has been all downhill: the Nonino name and product emerged from the anonymity of the Friulian plain to cross regional borders first, and national ones later.
The name has become an unmistakable brand. Then the big leap: embellishing an alcoholic product by associating it with a literary prize with international names, from Vidiadhar Naipaul to Edgar Morin, from Claudio Magris to Antonio Damasio, from Adonis to John Banville. Many editions, in the distillery, in fact, transformed into a festive and cultural place. And at least five of those names who passed through the competition were awarded the Nobel Prize in subsequent years.
(Unioneonline/ss)